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P Rathbone: Cool description of organization culture evolution - check out where this author sees organization culture going next - to "Teal"

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P Rathbone: Cool description of organization culture evolution - check out where this author sees organization culture going next - to "Teal"

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https://www.strategy-business.com/article/00344?gko=10921

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Story Number: NNS171101-07 Release Date: 11/1/2017 9:01:00 AM

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Editor's Note: In Figures 2, 3 and 6 in the Report on the Collision Between USS John S McCain (DDG 56) and Motor Vessel Alnic MC there are diagrams illustrating the approximate location of the collision, of other contacts in the area, and of USS McCain's intended track. The original diagrams had inadvertently depicted Alnic in the eastbound lane of the Traffic Separation Scheme (TSS). The Navy does not contend that Alnic was in the eastbound lane at the time of the collision. TSS boundaries have been removed from the diagrams for clarity. We regret the error.

Figures 2, 3 and 5 on pages 5 and 8 of the Report on the Collision Between USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) and ACX Crystal are diagrams illustrating the approximate tracks of the vessels, location of the collision, of other contacts in the area. These diagrams had inadvertently depicted inaccurate course headings. The original diagrams have been modified to depict more accurate headings.

On Page 18, the Report on the Collision Between USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) and ACX Crystal states that a Japanese Coast Guard (JCG) helicopter medically evacuated the commanding officer and transported him to Naval Hospital Yokosuka. The report should have stated a Japanese Maritime Self-Defense Forces (JMSDF) helicopter conducted that medical evacuation. The United States Navy reiterates our sincere appreciation for the immense support provided by both JMSDF and JCG.

On Nov. 30, the U.S. Navy released the report on the collision between USS Lake Champlain (CG 57) and fishing vessel Nam Yang 502, which occurred May 9, in the Sea of Japan. The report can be found below."

WASHINGTON (NNS) -- The Navy released Nov. 1, a report detailing the events and actions that led to the collision of USS Fitzgerald (DDG 62) and ACX Crystal off the coast of Japan June 17, and the collision of USS John S. McCain (DDG 56) and merchant vessel Alnic MC Aug. 21.

"Both of these accidents were preventable and the respective investigations found multiple failures by watch standers that contributed to the incidents," said Chief of Naval Operations (CNO) Adm. John Richardson. "We must do better."

"We are a Navy that learns from mistakes and the Navy is firmly committed to doing everything possible to prevent an accident like this from happening again. We must never allow an accident like this to take the lives of such magnificent young Sailors and inflict such painful grief on their families and the nation.

"The vast majority of our Sailors are conducting their missions effectively and professionally - protecting America from attack, promoting our interests and prosperity, and advocating for the rules that govern the vast commons from the sea floor to space and in cyberspace. This is what America expects and deserves from its Navy.

"Our culture, from the most junior sailor to the most senior Commander, must value achieving and maintaining high operational and warfighting standards of performance and these standards must be embedded in our equipment, individuals, teams and fleets.

"We will spend every effort needed to correct these problems and be stronger than before," said Richardson.

USS FITZGERALD

The collision between Fitzgerald and Crystal was avoidable and resulted from an accumulation of smaller errors over time, ultimately resulting in a lack of adherence to sound navigational practices. Specifically, Fitzgerald's watch teams disregarded established norms of basic contact management and, more importantly, leadership failed to adhere to well-established protocols put in place to prevent collisions. In addition, the ship's triad was absent during an evolution where their experience, guidance and example would have greatly benefited the ship.

USS JOHN S. MCCAIN

The collision between John S. McCain and Alnic MC was also avoidable and resulted primarily from complacency, over-confidence and lack of procedural compliance. A major contributing factor to the collision was sub-standard level of knowledge regarding the operation of the ship control console. In particular, McCain's commanding officer disregarded recommendations from his executive officer, navigator and senior watch officer to set sea and anchor watch teams in a timely fashion to ensure the safe and effective operation of the ship. With regard to procedures, no one on the Bridge watch team, to include the commanding officer and executive officer, were properly trained on how to correctly operate the ship control console during a steering casualty.

Download: Collision Report for USS Fitzgerald and USS John S. McCain Collisions

https://s3.amazonaws.com/CHINFO/USS+Fitzgerald+and+USS+John+S+McCain+Collision+Reports.pdf

USS LAKE CHAMPLAIN

The collision between Lake Champlain (CG 57) and fishing vessel Nam Yang 502 was avoidable. The Lake Champlain was ultimately unprepared for the situation in which they found themselves through a lack of preparation, ineffective command and control, and deficiencies in training. The collision between Lake Champlain and Nam Yang 502 resulted in no injuries and each vessel sustained minor hull damage.

Download: Collision report for USS Lake Champlain

https://s3.amazonaws.com/CHINFO/171129_USS+Lake+Champlain+Collision+Report_FINALwCVN.pdf

COLLISION MAP GRAPHICS

https://s3.amazonaws.com/CHINFO/Fitzgerald_McCain_Illustration+Maps.zip

PHOTOS AND VIDEOS

USS JOHN S. MCCAIN:

-Photos of 10 Sailors killed aboard USS John S. McCain (DDG 56), family and official: https://s3.amazonaws.com/Customer-delivery/DDG56/USS+John+S+McCain+Sailor+portraits.zip

-Photos of USS John S. McCain (DDG 56): https://s3.amazonaws.com/Customer-delivery/DDG56/USS+John+S+McCain+photos.zip

-Video of USS John S. McCain (DDG 56): https://s3.amazonaws.com/Customer-delivery/DDG56/USS+John+S+McCain+video.zip

USS FITZGERALD:

-Photos of the seven Sailors killed aboard USS Fitzgerald:
https://s3.amazonaws.com/Customer-delivery/DDG62/170619+USS+Fitzgerald+Casualties.zip

-Video (interviews and b-roll) of fleet level support to the crew of USS Fitzgerald after collision: https://s3.amazonaws.com/Customer-delivery/DDG62/US+Navy+Support+to+USS+Fitzgerald+Sailors.zip

-Video of statement from Vice Adm. Joseph P. Aucoin, U.S. 7th Fleet commander, regarding USS Fitzgerald's return to Fleet Activities (FLEACT) Yokosuka after collision: https://s3.amazonaws.com/Customer-delivery/DDG62/US+Navy+video+Statement+VADM+Aucoin.zip

-Video of USS Fitzgerald returning to Fleet Activities (FLEACT) Yokosuka following collision: https://s3.amazonaws.com/Customer-delivery/DDG62/US+Navy+video+USS+Fitzgerald+Yokosuka+Japan.zip

-Photos of USS Fitzgerald returning to Fleet Activities (FLEACT) Yokosuka after the collision: https://s3.amazonaws.com/Customer-delivery/DDG62/USNavy+Handout+USS+Fitzgerald.zip

-Video of USS Fitzgerald moving into Dry Dock 4 at Fleet Activities (FLEACT) Yokosuka to continue repairs and assess damage from its June 17 collision: https://s3.amazonaws.com/Customer-delivery/DDG62/USS+Fitzgerald+enters+dry-dock+170711.zip

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This story was written by Navy Office of Information

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Navy Releases Collision Report for USS Fitzgerald and USS John S McCain Collisions

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Story Number: NNS171101-07 Release Date: 11/1/2017 9:01:00 AM WASHINGTON (NNS) -- Editor's Note: In Figures 2, 3 and 6 in the Report on the Collision Between USS John S McCain (DDG 56) and Motor Vessel Alnic MC there are diagrams illustrating the approximate location of the collision, of other contacts in the area, and of USS McCain's intended track.

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Corporate Culture's "Artifacts" -K. Lang

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Corporate Culture's "Artifacts" -K. Lang

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Hi All, just found this link. It discusses artifacts in detail and has example questions to ask to look for inconsistencies with artifacts and beliefs/ assumptions.

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The job of a police officer can be both mentally and physically exhausting. As such, officers rely on one another for emotional and physical support. Terms like brotherhood, thin blue line, and blue code of silence are common illustrations of the cultural bond that officers share. Most often connotations of police culture (or police subculture to some) are negative. For example, when officers misuse their coercive power, it is often police culture that gets blamed (for endorsing a no nonsense aggressive approach to dealing with citizens). When organizational reforms, like community policing, are met with officer resistance, the culture is cited as the primary barrier to soft policing innovations brought on by "out of touch" administrators. At the same time, police culture can operate as a powerful positive mechanism in helping officers mutually buffer the various tensions of their job.

U...

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The job of a police officer can be both mentally and physically exhausting. As such, officers rely on one another for emotional and physical support. Terms like brotherhood, thin blue line, and blue code of silence are common illustrations of the cultural bond that officers share.

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The date on your computer is in the past. If your computer's clock shows a date before 1 Jan 1970, the browser will automatically forget the cookie. To fix this, set the correct time and date on your computer.

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Officers want stability within the organization because they work in a constant state of uncertainly. - Chris

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Change doesn't come easy for most law enforcement agencies. Whether introducing new policies, procedures, or technology, most law enforcers are culturally resistant to change.

This resistance is understandable. Police officers work in extremely fluid conditions in which the unexpected and unanticipated become the norm. To balance against this constant state of flux, officers depend upon an established sense of stability within the agency's operational and managerial philosophies. The "business as usual" approach not only enhances that feeling of comfort and stability, it also reinforces a cultural resistance towards change.

Like any other type of organization, police agencies eventually encounter the need for transformational change to address issues that undermine effectiveness and efficiency. We've learned that the key element of successful and sustaining change is not the issue at hand - or our proposed solution - but the existing organizational culture and the degree of resistance we will encounter when trying to manage and promote change.

Leading Toward Shared Values

According to Edgar Schein, the two most significant factors of culture are the shared values and underlying assumptions that influence the attitudes and behaviors of those within the organization.

When those shared values and underlying assumptions include a collective resistance to change, the organization's members become conditioned to perceive that efforts toward change are inconsistent with their needs. They then have little motivation to support change efforts, and the person whose job it is to create change faces a significantly more difficult task.

To counteract cultural resistance to change, the police leader must first create shared values and underlying assumptions that will align the organization with that leader's efforts to implement change.

The first key component in creating this culture is to understand the difference between managing and leading.

You will achieve limited success when you try to "manage" others to change. You will be more effective when you can "lead" others toward the change you want to implement. Practicing the basic leadership tenants of acting with integrity, inspiring confidence and building trust are always important, but even more so when you are trying to realign cultural values.

Shared Vision and Meaning

Long-term success in creating a culture motivated to change is dependent on two critical components; sharing your vision and providing meaning to others.

Effective leaders have a vision of where they want the organization to go, and how they want to get there. The leader's vision - when properly communicated - becomes the picture of progress that all members of the organization can share. Armed with that vision, the leader draws upon his or her established credibility and instills in others the desire and confidence to pursue change. That vision becomes the energy behind the change in culture.

Creating a culture of change is about developing a shared sensed of destiny and enrolling others in those efforts so they can see their own interests as being aligned with the organization.

Most management experts agree that sharing a vision and finding meaning and purpose in work are the ultimate motivators and, consequently, they will help pave the path to personal and organizational fulfillment. The most effective way to create and sustain the motivational culture is the continual application and reinforcement of those behaviors that emphasize the vision and purpose of the organization. A collective sense of purpose will, in nearly all cases, overcome an established cultural resistance towards change.

One of the most frustrating aspects of organizational leadership can be the inability to effectively implement necessary change within an agency, and the accompanying push-back that will inevitably occur.

The components of creating a culture of change - effective leadership, sharing your vision and providing meaning to others - are important building blocks of successful change management. When change is effectively managed it not only improves our organizations, it can also enhance the desired feeling of comfort and stability the organization's members.

Ultimately, the key to success in creating a culture in which change is accepted and embraced is not found in the type of change desired or its degree of necessity. It is in those leadership efforts that are necessary to develop the organizational values and underlying assumptions in which change is not only possible, but is also welcome.

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How to change culture in your police department

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Change doesn't come easy for most law enforcement agencies. Whether introducing new policies, procedures, or technology, most law enforcers are culturally resistant to change. This resistance is understandable. Police officers work in extremely fluid conditions in which the unexpected and unanticipated become the norm.

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An example of one of our community outreach and branding strategies that tied in with our mission statement. - Chris

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Daniel Hundley

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One business buzzword we hear almost everyday is "culture," as in, our organization has a "strong" or "innovative" or even a "toxic" culture. But what do we really mean when we say this?

For me, an organizational culture is defined by how people inside the organization interact with each other. Culture is learned behavior - it's not a by-product of operations. It's not an overlay. We create our organizational culture by the actions we take; not the other way around.

For example, I sit on the board of United Airlines. At the start of every board meeting, the first topic of discussion is about where the fire exits are, how to access the stairs, and where we will meet up afterward. Why would we bother starting every meeting that way? Because United's culture is built on safety. And the best way to cultivate and reinforce that culture is to lead with behaviors and take actions that promote the importance of safety.

Another element of United's culture is timeliness. I am a punctual person by nature, but I recall dialing in to one board meeting a few seconds late. The other participants started a few minutes before I joined. They saw a chance to start early, so they did.

I share these stories as a way to show that how we behave as leaders drives the kind of culture we end up with. But this is also why changing an existing culture can be so difficult.

This is a topic fellow executives ask me about a lot. It's not easy to change a culture, because it involves changing how we behave. If you're running a company that has been doing something a certain way for a long time, it can be hard to get everyone on board with doing it differently. And that includes your organizational leaders.

Picture the following scenario. A group of executives decides that their organizational culture needs to become more "customer focused." But when you look at the agenda of their meetings, there's no time devoted to discussing how they can improve their customers' experience. And how much time do those executives actually spend out in the field, visiting customers, let alone fielding calls from them? If these executives prioritize something other than customers in their behavior, don't you think the rest of the organization will follow suit?

It's easy to think that building a culture is about other people's behaviors, not how you act as a leader. But I believe that culture change begins when leaders start to model the behavior they want the organization to emulate.

Case in point: A lot of executives come to me for advice about how they can build a more innovative culture, like the one we have at Red Hat. Well, it's not as simple as telling everyone to "go out there and innovate!"

Our innovative culture is a product of the behaviors that we embrace throughout our organization. One of those elements is a willingness to have open and frank discussions about what separates great ideas from bad ones. If you want to be innovative, you also need to accept failure. If our associates aren't pushing boundaries and sometimes failing along the way, we probably aren't pushing hard enough. But by accepting and even celebrating a failed effort, we promote innovation. We will reward someone who tries to climb the tallest mountain, even if they fall short of the summit, because they have created an experience we can learn from and build upon. That's what innovation is all about.

Consider an example from Amazon, one of the world's most valuable companies. Jeff Bezos, Amazon's founder and CEO, has said that if his people have a one-in-10 chance of making a 100x return on an investment, he wants them to make that bet every time. But that means that to reap the reward Amazon needs to be willing to tolerate someone failing nine out of 10 times.

That can be a hard concept for traditionally run companies to wrap their heads around. They are used to measuring objective outcomes and results. They might think that failing is not something to celebrate; it's to be punished. So, why would anyone be surprised when innovation stalls as a result? After all, who would be willing to stick their neck out to try something new if there wasn't any upside to doing so?

The point is that building an innovative culture starts by looking at how you behave as a leader toward those trying to innovate. The same is true about any kind of culture: It all begins with the behavior of your leaders. To say that another way, if you are interested in changing the culture of your organization, your first step should be to look in the mirror and make sure you are setting the kind of behavioral example you want everyone else to follow.

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Leaders Can Shape Company Culture Through Their Behaviors

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One business buzzword we hear almost everyday is "culture," as in, our organization has a "strong" or "innovative" or even a "toxic" culture. But what do we really mean when we say this?

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Emily Barnes
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Macros, Micros, Subcultures, Artifacts
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What's the secret to creating a culture of leadership that will take your organization forward for years to come? There is no secret - it starts at the top with you.

In my experience as a leadership speaker and consultant, it starts with senior leaders reflecting internally - to understand their purpose, gain clarity about what they stand for and what the organization stands for - and identifying how to communicate this with the rest of your organization.

It is the strength of individuals who make an organization world class. And companies that make leadership development a strategic priority has the ability to attract and retain the best leadership talent, and move to the head of the pack.

Leadership Culture Starts at the Top

Transformational leaders understand that a culture of leadership doesn't start with a written document, but by the behaviours they model every day. You can't simply write down what you want your leadership culture to be and expect others to follow. Your culture is made up of the values you live daily - and those are not aspirational - they are actual.

Leaders must understand and communicate a clear vision to create an environment that attracts people who share their same values.

You lay the groundwork by being clear with your purpose, and by leading by example and modeling the behaviours they would like to see practiced. Only then can you begin to establish the right structures and processes to foster and reinforce the desired culture.

If you want to develop great leaders, you first need to learn to be a great leader yourself.

5 Things All Great Leaders Do to Create a Culture of Leadership

While it's easy to assume that great leaders were born to lead - and some are - more often great leadership is a result hard work, gaining experience over time, continuously evolving, and being open to learning new skills and trying different approaches. Thankfully, most of us were not born a natural leader, we had to learn - and this willingness to grow and develop will help create a culture of leadership.

Here are 5 things that great leaders do to help create a culture of leadership:

1. Define clarity of purpose: All great leaders find their purpose. It's clearly defined, and it is the catalyst for everything they do. Purpose helps to fuel their work ethic and drive their passion for what they do. More importantly, they create a purpose that resonates with others, and they communicate organizational values and vision in a way that brings people together to rally behind their vision, creating a strong culture of leadership.

2. Walk the talk: You must reinforce company culture and values daily and with consistency. Leadership culture is a living and breathing entity. Strong leaders understand that organizational culture is dynamic and know it's critical to reflect a culture of leadership through their actions. If your team sees you practicing what you preach, they will be more open to buy-in. Values should be a regular touch point in decision-making to ensure they are being lived every day - not just when it is easy or convenient. Leaders also establish a culture of leadership when they hire new people by hiring for character over competence (Read Three Critical Elements for Finding the Right People to Work in High Performance Environments) and establishing expectations clearly during onboarding, training, and coaching, and by putting people in leadership positions who share the same values and live them consistently. Read more: Why Leaders Need to Reinforce Company Culture and Values.

3. Practice self-awareness: Leaders need to be willing to change first - before organizations can change and transform. Leaders need to have the ability to be self-aware, as well as organizationally and culturally aware, of the impact of their actions and decisions. They allow others to have a voice, they are open to critique and outside ideas, and they are willing to grow individually and professionally. Read more: Leaders Need to Change First Before Organizations Change.

4. Recognize the value of people: Great leaders understand that the most valuable resource in their organization is people. They invest in people and help them develop their own leadership capacity - scaling it throughout the organization. Transformational leaders have a genuine desire to lift people up to achieve their own success.

5. Create transformative organizational change: Leaders themselves need to be transformative in order to inspire higher performance and a customer-focused culture. As discussed in, 6 Ways for Leaders to Create Organizational Change, "how you approach change is just as important as what you want to change. If you want to be a transformative leader and create long-lasting organizational change, you need to approach it in a way which minimizes negative reactions, is aligned with business strategies and corporate cultures and is inclusive in nature."

Anyone can be in a leadership position, but this doesn't mean they are a leader. There is a difference between managing and leading. Managers look after things/checklists (budgets, invoices, scheduling, reports) and usually do so from behind a desk.

However, people are led. Great leaders know that to connect with their teams, they need to be engaged - ready to step in and support their people, even working side by side to get the job done. Leaders take the time to build their social skills and interact with others so that there is a strong teamwork atmosphere.

Forget about looking for the secret formula or shortcuts to create a culture of leadership. You won't find them. Start by taking a look in the mirror and reflecting on your own leadership. This is the first place to look for answers about how to create a culture of leadership.
The next article in our leadership speaker series will examine the critical elements for finding the right people for your organization.
For more information about having Bill speak about this topic at your next event, visit Kickass Keynotes

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What's the secret to creating a culture of leadership that will take your organization forward for years to come? There is no secret - it starts at the top with you.

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Univ of Mich Center for Positive Organizations Positive Links Series -K. Lang

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Univ of Mich Center for Positive Organizations Positive Links Series -K. Lang

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This is a great resource for positive organizations - they have a monthly seminar.  You can view past event videos at: https://positiveorgs.bus.umich.edu/videos/

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Positive Links Speaker Series - Center for Positive Organizations

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The Positive Links Speaker Series, presented by Michigan Ross' Center for Positive Organizations, offers inspiring and practical research-based strategies for building organizations that are high performing and bring out the best in its people.

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Org culture vs macro culture: how to lead in a multi-cultural or even "foreign" environments. -K. Lang

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Org culture vs macro culture: how to lead in a multi-cultural or even "foreign" environments. -K. Lang

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Pond talks about the importance of understanding the culture before making decisions or making judgments about groups or individuals.

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Many of my posts and articles address the critical nature of culture within organizations, and for good reason. Many of the biggest leadership challenges today are actually more about culture (beliefs, values and behavior) than about operations or strategy.

But what role does macro culture (the culture outside the organization) have on the micro-culture inside the organization and on related leadership challenges? It turns out it's a really big deal.

In my case, I have been very fortunate to have travelled to 37 different nations and lived in six different countries around the world. Although I carry an American passport, my world-view is the product of life and work in dozens of different macro cultures, with particularly extensive experience in those of Latin America, Europe, and the Middle East. As part of my experience, I have served as a Chief Executive Officer of large, complex organizations outside the United States and have learned powerful lessons as a result.

So, back to the original question: What role does macro culture play on the internal cultures of organizations within those macro cultures and, importantly, what are the implications for leadership in those contexts?

It would be impossible to fully answer such questions in a single article, but there are some high level takeaways I can address here.

Let me start with what was nearly the biggest mistake of my professional life. I was the new CEO of a parent company in Latin America that had four subsidiaries within the overall structure, three in Latin America and one in Florida, on the U.S. mainland. I had the advantage of speaking Spanish and of extensive experience living in other Hispanic countries, but I had never run an organization outside the U.S. at that point.

The holding company had American ownership and I was hired in the U.S., with the implicit assumption that I would impart American business practices in the Latin American operations. In fact, early on in my tenure, I determined that my objective was to make my new company the "best American operation possible." Huge mistake.

Macro cultures have evolved over centuries (or millennia) and many generations. They dramatically impact values around things like time, incentives, respect, relationships, gender roles, hierarchies, and even religion among others. These values are reflected in behavior and language, among other manifestations, and while people may learn to say what they think a boss wants to hear, if they are being asked to do things that conflict with their cultural values, there will be no sustained commitment at all and lots of down stream dissonance and confusion.

Not surprisingly, I initially found myself frustrated with some things that didn't match my expectations. One example was what I felt was a lack of urgency around time commitments. Another example (funny now) was what I thought to be "inappropriate" use of organizational email systems for personal, all-staff emails. However, I also discovered deep value for human relationships, for loyalty, for family, for enthusiastic social life, and an almost limitless patience in the face of frustrating bureaucratic challenges. And as for time, yes, it really was perceived differently, but it turns out that the relationship with time was, at its core, far more healthy than what I had been socialized to believe in typical American organizations.

Thankfully, before I had a chance to seriously damage my professional relationships or to create unsustainable stress in the organization, I came to the realization that my objective had to be to create the "best Puerto Rican operation possible," which still provided opportunities to inculcate best practices in the organization (which we did with things like shared services, customer service, planning, financial controls, and accountability among others), but those efforts had to exist in concert with the overriding external cultural values that so thoroughly permeated the organization-and I absolutely had to choose my battles. There were a few cases in which I challenged organizational norms because I just didn't believe they were justifiable, culturally or otherwise. But I only did so if I was really confident (and had confirmed with others from the local culture) that I was probably right. One example was the notion that we just couldn't provide great customer service because that didn't exist in the external culture. I didn't buy it and launched a comprehensive effort to change the reality, which we did. That became a competitive advantage.

Another example comes from the Arabian Gulf area of the Middle East. Compared to American norms, professional interactions are incredibly formal in the Arab world and there is a long, historical tradition of being deferential to those at the top of hierarchies. Even long time lateral colleagues often address each other as "Mr." or "Dr." so and so, particularly in the presence of others. Being from the West, but also being someone who believes that formal hierarchy can get in the way of open communications, dissemination of ideas, teamwork, etc., this was a challenge for me. At first I created occasional dissonance by simply being too informal. While still more informal than most of my colleagues, I have learned to be more protocol driven, particularly in the presence of others. My motivation for that, in addition to simply being respectful of the local norms, is to avoid the appearance that I do not honor the professional status of my colleagues. I've also had to accept that managers simply will not "challenge" each other, and certainly not their superiors, in front of others in Arabic culture. As a result, I have learned to solicit more transparent assessment of ideas or potential courses of action in one on one settings, which is possible. It is a work in progress, but a critical key to success when navigating new cultural environments is to earn the benefit of the doubt by listening, learning, and being as gracious as possible.

Having said that, sometimes there are cultural "non-negotiables" that must be understood and respected. The Middle East, for example, is broadly Islamic and unlike the West, there is often little or no distinction between Islamic values in the workplace, private life, government, etc. While most Muslim majority countries are very respectful of other religions, there is an expectation that Muslims and non-Muslims alike honor certain Islamic values. A very good workplace example is that some female Muslim employees choose to limit their interactions with male colleagues. For example, some have made the choice not to shake hands with male colleagues or to share an elevator alone with a male colleague, etc. While this may sound extreme from some Western perspectives, in practice, it is very workable. It is also an example of something that should not be questioned or challenged. Sometimes the macro culture imposes norms on organizational culture that are "sacred" and simply to be respected. An example in Western contexts is the recognition that managers absolutely should not use their positional authority to pressure subordinates into compromising relationships. Unfortunately it still happens, but the cultural norm does not support such behavior and, in most cases, such behavior is actually illegal in the West.

The fact is that is all organizations exist within the context of some set of macro-cultural values and assumptions, which permeate organizations through the people in them. This is true whether a leader finds him or herself in a "foreign" land or in the community where he or she grew up. A good source of in-depth information on this topic can be found in Leading with Cultural Intelligence by David Livermore . The point is that leaders must be cognizant of those cultural influences and must be prepared to honor them even when they are not held by the leader him or herself. More specifically, as noted by Livermore in his book, it is particularly important that leaders understand what behaviors and values are universal (held by most people across cultures), which are specific to a given culture, and which are unique to individuals. Those distinctions have significant implications for the decisions you make as a leader.

Fortunately, as noted above, there are certain values and behaviors that tend to transcend most macro cultural contexts that leaders can rely on when engaging the people in organizations they are leading.

In my experience the most important aptitude for a leader in such situations is inter and intra-personal intelligence and the most important behaviors are to listen and observe more than talk and act. For better or worse, leaders who are imperceptive and lacking in self-awareness are simply ill-prepared to be effective in culturally complex environments. It's not that such environments are unforgiving to mistakes in protocol; they're actually quite tolerant with "beginners." They are, however, unforgiving to "outsiders" who insist on ignoring or disrespecting norms that are important to people in the organization. As an example, I have a very productive and respectful relationship with a female employee in my HR department, whom I initially embarrassed in front of others when I first arrived by trying to shake her hand. I later apologized to her personally and asked her for a brief cultural lesson, but more importantly, I learned from the experience and changed my behavior so that I do not extend my hand first to any female, Muslim employee or colleague. If they extend their hand to me, then I know it is appropriate to shake their hand. Simple.

A related, very important personal trait for leaders in such situations is to be unpretentious (ethnocentric) about their own cultural norms. People instinctively know that anyone who is new in a given cultural context will need some time to climb a learning curve. It has been my experience that, regardless of macro culture, there is an appreciation for leaders who are authentic and unpretentious. People don't expect perfection, but they genuinely appreciate a leader who knows that he or she doesn't know everything-and understands that some local values and customs may not only be of great social importance, but are highly functional and valuable as well. In such situations it is really important that a leader identify a "culture coach"-someone in the organization who is thoroughly versed in the local norms and values and who can be available for questions, but who will also assert him or herself to the leader before a mistake is made. I have had such coaches in multiple settings and they are worth their weight in gold.

In short, it has been my experience that when navigating new cultural environments, leaders are much better served by "soft skills" than by technical skills, regardless of how valuable those technical skills may be to an organization. MBA programs almost never talk about "kindness" or "patience" or "sensitivity" as leadership traits at all, let alone highly valuable leadership traits. That is unfortunate, because the "on the ground" reality is that those traits have high transactional value in essentially any organizational context, but they are effectively required in culturally complex environments in which the norms are unfamiliar to the leader.

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Organizational Culture vs. Macro Culture: How to Lead in Multi-Cultural or Even "Foreign" Environments

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Many of my posts and articles address the critical nature of culture within organizations, and for good reason. Many of the biggest leadership challenges today are actually more about culture (beliefs, values and behavior) than about operations or strategy. But what role does macro culture (the culture outside the organization) have on the micro-culture inside...

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Schein's three levels of org culture-K. Lang

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Schein's three levels of org culture-K. Lang

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I really liked the visual and the examples for the 3-levels of org. culture, in the write up.

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Organizational culture is a system of shared traditions, values, and beliefs, which have a great effect on how people behave in organizations. Values are lasting beliefs which have a strong influence on the people in the organization. It dictates how the organization appears in public eyes. Edgar Henry Schein (born March 5, 1928), a former Professor at the MIT Sloan School of Management, is known for his work in the field of organizational development, more so in areas such as career development, talent management, group dynamics and cultural developments. Edgar Schein's model of organizational culture originated in the 1980s. Edgar Henry Schein identified three distinct levels in organizational cultures: artifacts and behaviors, espoused values and assumptions which came to be known as Edgar Schein's three levels of organizational culture

Artifacts include any tangible, evident or verbally identifiable elements in an organization. These include the architecture, beautification of workplace, careful design, layout, fitting and maintenance, built-in space for movement (space, sound, and acoustics), functionality, attractive visuals, elegance, furniture etc. Artifacts include dress codes; explicit dress codes speak a lot about workplace culture. They are varied as workplaces are. It differs as per the nature of the workplace, it is the starting point of defining and determining a dress code. Wearing I-Card and clean dress, well-groomed employees speaks a lot about organizations.

The employees are organization's first brand ambassadors. Law firms are different from IT firms, hospitals are different from hospitality, manufacturing is different from retail and back office work is different from client-facing work. Dress code, languages, selection of courteous language, office jokes, all exemplify organizational artifacts. Artifacts are the visible elements in a culture and they make the first impression on outsiders. Lazy, shabbily dressed, sloppy employees mar the image of the organization. When we meet gossiping, paying no heed to customers and lost in their old world employees, we lose interest in transacting with the organization. Don't we?

Espoused values are the organization's stated values and rules of behavior. It is how the members represent the organization both in terms of their behavior and the shared values. Their interpersonal behaviors and their behaviors with outsiders speak volumes. This is expressed in mission, vision, philosophies and values of the organization. The mission, vision, goals, values need to be displayed nicely in framed posters in strategic locations in organizations. They are official philosophies and statements of identity for the public. A company's mission statement is essentially its statement of purpose.

It serves as a guide for all of the company's decision-making. Shareholders, leaders and employees and customers are generally the target of the mission. It projects the future, of what the organizations hopes to become. Likewise, vision statements help to describe the organization's purpose. Vision statements also include the organization values. Vision statements give direction for employee behavior and helps provide inspiration. They help in organizational analysis which is the process of reviewing the development, work environment, personnel and operation of a business or another type of association. In professional organizations you will see that espoused values are shared by employees at all levels. Trouble may arise if espoused values by leaders are not in line with the deeper implied assumptions of the culture.

The third level is Assumptions which are shared basic assumptions. These are deeply embedded, taken-for-granted behaviors which are usually unconscious, but constitute the deep essence of culture. These assumptions are well integrated in the work culture, that they are easily recognized in actions of the employees and management. The inner aspects of human nature constitute the third level of organization culture. The inner values of individual employees can make or break an organization. Being honest to work, being a well-wisher of the organization, putting in the extra bit matters a lot. Sometimes when employees need to put in late hours, and they refuse, or when female employees are dominated by male employees, or when females employees are harassed by their bosses it portrays the culture. The organizations follow certain practices, which are not discussed often but understood on their own. Such behaviors form the third level of the organization culture.

The three levels refer to the degree to which the different cultural phenomena are visible to the observer.

Aligning the three layers: Inside organizations, there may be different subcultures. Schein believes that the alignment between these three subcultures is critical for growth. Many problems that are attributed to bureaucracy, environmental factors or personality conflicts among managers are in fact the result of the lack of alignment between these factors of culture.

Organizations must use a broad-spectrum yet strict approach to educate its members of the organization's values. Remember, values are important only when the organizations' members have accept them. Organizations need to publicize them widely internally, so that it goes down well externally. For example, if an organization gives importance to educational qualifications of employees, the values should be explained in detail to the members as they pass through the organization's education system.

The values must be demonstrated to the employees through the senior managers. They say 'practice before your preach' the seniors play a vital role in practicing the values of the organization. Douglas Macgregor states that highly successful organizations do not simply proclaim a set of values; rather they immerse their managers as well as their employees in the ideology to an obsessive degree. It is a certainty, that any disconnect between the behavior of the senior leaders and the values of the organization strongly undermine the commitment of the organization to those values in the minds of its members. And, the adherence of the members to the organization's values is the core of discipline. Whatever that undermines values also undermines organizational discipline.

Also, when new employees enter the organization, they learn the values of the organization through their initial socialization processes with other members of the organization. Though, this fact is considered as informal method, it is quite powerful. The new employees can be molded in the system within first two weeks. Finally, all organizations are socio-technical systems in which the manner of external adaptation and the solution of internal integration problems are interdependent: employees, managers, investors, suppliers, the community, government and the customers shape an organization. The internal adaptation of an organization shapes the external adaptation.

Zappos.com is an online shoe and clothing shop currently based in Las Vegas, Nevada. In July 2009, the company announced it would be acquired by Amazon.com in an all-stock deal worth about $1.2 billion. Since its founding in 1999, it has become one of the world's largest online shoe stores. Zappos has become almost as well known for its culture as it is for the shoes that it sells online. How does Zappos culture look like? It believes in delivering an experience of 'WOW' through service. The company believes in embracing change constantly. It believes in creating fun and weirdness among the employees. Weirdness is necessary for creating innovation. It encourages its employees to be adventurous, creative and open-minded and pursue learning. The organizations believes in building honest relationship with its employees with transparent communication. In true sense Zappos behaves like a close-knit family.

When it comes to hiring employees, it starts with a cultural fit interview, which carries half the weight of hiring the candidate. New employees are offered $2,000 to quit after the first week of training if they decide the job isn't for them. Ten core values of the company are instilled in every team member. Employee raises come from workers who pass skills tests and exhibit increased capability, not from office politics. Portions of the budget are dedicated to employee team building and culture promotion. The organization passes on great benefits and a workplace that is fun and dedicated to making customers happy all fit in with the Zappos approach to company culture, where one gets the company culture right, great customer service and a great brand will happen on its own. Zappos has established what the company culture is, and fitting into that culture is the most important thing managers look before hiring.

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Over the course of my life, I have done all possible jobs that one can think of - front desk assistant, telephone operator, clerical work, accounts assistant, inventory officer, sales woman, sales manager, tutor, lecturer, professor, director...etc. The range of job designations and experience of working in diverse roles has given me strength to think, help people, increase customer satisfaction, promote products, and off course build brands. When I look back at my career, in some jobs I excelled, in some I continued with odds. But the fact is that the diversity in my career has strengthened me as a person and definitely enhanced my skills. Every job taught me something or the other. I love meeting people, reading, travelling, listening to music, cooking, gardening, teaching, writing. Blogging has been a recent addition and am loving it. It has become my biggest hobby. Blogging has changed my life. My blog is wide-ranging manifestation of the way I think. I am a creative individual; I write because I have the urge to translate expressions of life. Over the years I studied and added some degrees as well. I have a PhD in Marketing Management from University of Pune, a post doctoral D.Litt (Doctor of letters) from Mumbai University in strategic management. I am a Professor of Management Studies with 16 years of teaching experience and have over 20 years industry experience. My core teaching areas are Marketing Strategy and General Management. As a teacher, I have always maintained the academic rigor in my classroom, I have always believed and practiced academic engagement while lecturing, I believe in experiential teaching-learning. I truly believe that education is interdisciplinary; therefore I have successfully guided 15 students for their PhD degree across various sectors in business management which includes a broad base of research coursework coupled with an area of specialization. I write on various management topics, research, news and higher education for students. And, the general section of articles on my blog relate to my interests in life. Happy reading to you all!

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Edgar Schein's three levels of organizational culture - Dr. Vidya Hattangadi

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Organizational culture is a system of shared traditions, values, and beliefs, which have a great effect on how people behave in organizations . Values are lasting beliefs which have a strong influence on the people in the organization . It dictates how the organization appears in public eyes.

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What almost every leader gets wrong (Simon Sinek)

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What almost every leader gets wrong (Simon Sinek)

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Sinek challenges (traditional) leader’s basic assumption that ‘What gets measured, gets done’... Organizational Culture cannot be measured, while profitability/sales can. This often leads to mass-layoffs and reduction in pay/benefits to positively impact short-term profits, while the leader firmly believes (aspoused values/belief) that his/her people are the key to success.

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Simon Sinek Explains What Almost Every Leader Gets Wrong | Inc.

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Organizational Culture and Leadership (Schein)

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Organizational Culture and Leadership (Schein)